Open Letter to Rob Bell and Don Golden #1.023
Chapter 1 – The Cry of the Oppressed
Page 023
+ “The Hebrew word used here is sa’aq…the expression of pain, the ouch, the sound we utter when we are wounded.”
This is a fair explanation of the original Hebrew word. Strong’s concordance defines it as:
“to shriek; (by implication) to proclaim (an assembly): - X at all, call together, cry (out), gather (selves) (together).”
Certainly, “cry” takes on a different connotation when we’re talking about the cry of a group or a nation, as opposed to that of an individual, but it means essentially the same.
? “But sa’aq is also a question…that arises out of the pain of the wound. Where is justice? Did anybody see that? Who will come to my rescue? Did anybody hear that? Or am I alone here?”
A little later, you write, “The Israelites are oppressed, they’re in misery, they’re suffering – and when they cry out, God hears. This is a God who always hears the cry…God always hears the cry of the oppressed.”
Your point about justice and rescue is thoughtful, and does need to be investigated. We will be mistreated from time to time, even oppressed. Something at our core us tells us it’s wrong, and we typically desire relief or justice (or both) in the matter.
What’s missing from your depiction of Exodus, though, is something very central, something we cannot lose sight of: When the Israelites cried out, they cried out to their God.
It was not some half-hopeful plea to a nondescript listener, not knowing if anyone might hear. The Israelites knew a) who their God was, b) that He heard such pleas, and c) that He sometimes dealt very mercifully and kindly with them. That was their hope, and that hope was based on what they know of the faithfulness of God.
Please reconsider this. It’s vitally important for believers to know that they can bring their concerns directly to God, that Jesus is right now making intercession on their behalf, that God listens, and that He always answers, in His perfect timing according to His perfect plan.
(I’ll stop here for today, as the next thought carries well into the next page. Until tomorrow!)
